For the frail little grandmother sitting in her hut in Africa...

[kentuck]

She awakens in the night, believing it all to be a dream. The excitement rushes thru her frail and aging body. She must tell someone, everyone, of her dream.

Her neighbors stop by and she tells them about America - the greatest country in the world. They talk about George W Bush, the present President of the USA.

She yells at the young children as they ride by on their bicycles, their pantlegs splattered with mud from yesterday's rain. She tells them about America and her dream.

She sings over the dinner as the stew comes to a boil. The warm scents and smells temporarily replace the dream that controls all her awakened moments. She smiles as she sits down in the old cane-bottom chair. The stew is delicious.

As the warm sun fades slowly over the village, an old gentleman walks by smoking a cigarette. She motions for him to come and look at a photograph she has saved. She is beaming with pride to the point that she is almost speechless. She shows him a picture of her grandson. "He is running for President of the United States", she says proudly.

[stellanoir]

1. I regrettably didn't bookmark the photo of her posted last week.

I wish I had done so.

She is absolutely gorgeous for her age. Great vibes.

Bless her and her progeny.

[DJ13]

3. Heres a few

She's a very noble woman.

[Olney Blue]

18. I can see the family resemblance. Neat pictures, thanks!

[DemBones DemBones]

21. I think she is his step-grandmother, second wife of his

grandfather, not his father's mother.

[Olney Blue]

28. Sorry. I didn't know that. But you have to admit.....

they both purse their lips in a very similar way.

[tammywammy]

40. Third wife

His second wife is the mother of Barack Obama Sr and the third, Sarah Obama, raised him mostly.

[Critters2]

51. What makes her noble? nt

[roguevalley]

61. what makes her noble? her dignity.

[Critters2]

66. How is she more dignified than anyone else? Seriously, I don't get this.

I find it condescending.

[roguevalley]

102. I don't understand your position. I look at older people and see a

lifetime of work, sacrifice and steady going on their face. She is dignified and that is noble, probably giving the hardships of her life there. That is what I see. If you can't, doesn't mean its not there. Condescending? Please.

[Cha]

80. How Sweet! And mindblowing

that we get to experience all this for how ever long.

[rug]

2. Hut?

[sjdnb]

5. If I had a mansion in Chicago I guarantee, my granny

would NOT be living in a hut.

[OhioChick]

7. Maybe She Doesn't Want to Come "Here." n/t

[sjdnb]

9. Then build the house there ...

but a 'hut'? Come on. Next you'll tell me she doesn't like having convenience and/or comfort anywhere.

Give me a break.

These meme has bothered me from the start.

In our family, those who have done better help give others a start or 'leg up' - this kind of disconnect seems odd to me.

[Hutzpa]

58. You are a piece of work,

hope you're proud of yourself, I sense jealousy and envy from your tone, you so wish you
could be what he is about to become.

'Oh brother where art thou'

[sjdnb]

83. OK, if that's what you need to tell yourself?

But, no ... I'd rather acknowledge truth than be swayed or elevated with fairy tales.

[proud2BlibKansan]

86. And if she doesn't want it?

Do you propose she should be abducted and forcibly moved into a house that will satisfy her grandson's critics?

[stahbrett]

14. It's not a hut - it's a house - can't find the pic of it, but it's not a hut (nt)

[sjdnb]

17. You can't have it both ways ... the OP's SL reads

"For the frail little grandmother sitting in her hut in Africa..."

Evoking the Lincolnesque visions of from log cabin to WH. And, as far as I know, Obama himself grew up in rather comfortable surroundings.

But, which is it? Really, I am just wondering. Most immigrants - especially, successful ones, either send money home or bring their families over after they've become established. Especially, if they've been very successful.

In my experience, usually the later as most want to come over. But, even for those who don't, those who do well here usually help there folks back home improve their living conditions. And, reading about a granny still living in a 'hut' just struck me as quite odd.

And, it wasn't the first time. I'd seen a video of Obama visiting 'home' and it just seemed very unusual that his family was still living in those conditions, given his success.

[blonndee]

20. That seems to be a very narrow view of what "conditions" are acceptable.

How do you even know her "living conditions" NEED to be improved? What do you know about it?

[sjdnb]

25. The miracle of video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-22510146260178...

[blonndee]

30. Thanks for the video link!

I see a happy, good-humored woman, with a fairly large house with several rooms, concrete floors, plenty of furnishings, curtains on the windows, painted walls decorated with framed photos... The family grows corn, plan to grow potatoes, have a good working well and keep cattle with neighbors.

What exactly is this "miracle" you speak of that speaks to the "living conditions" that you find so unacceptable?

[sjdnb]

42. Guess you missed the

"impoverished" part ...

[blonndee]

44. LOL! Too funny.

I'll let YOUR video speak for itself for others, while you just keep believing what you apparently must.

[sjdnb]

54. Given the thread above, this whole Kenyan connection thing is becoming

rather moot. A second wife is Sr's mother, but third wife raise him and then virtually nothing ... until Barack runs for office. Kenyan father had left/walked away, Barack's mom - from Kansas, raised him pretty much alone.

So, why did the OP choose to evoke the Kenya-connection?

[blonndee]

57. Red herring. Not gonna bite. Sorry! :)

[sjdnb]

60. Just the facts ... the OPs whole premise was lame

and desperate. Fact is Obama grew up in an UMC environment, his dad gone for the most part, raised by his mom from Kansas in Hawaii. Not exactly Lincolnesque or with any connection to his father's Kenyan roots -- until lately.

[kentuck]

63. The OP's premise was not about you or I or Hillary or Obama...

It was about how the rest of the world might see us? It was not even about a "hut". It was about our image and respect in the world. It is not just about superdelegates and votes. It is about humanity. It is about reaching out to other people in the world. It is about making the world a better place by respecting the heritage and culture of others. It is not about whether Hillary or Obama wins the next election.

[sjdnb]

77. Well, I feel for Obama's mom ... the one who actually raised

him and saw him through all the illnesses, assignments, good and bad times, bumps and bruises ... cuz, everyone is focusing on this whole 'Kenyan relatives' thing when, the history is not as direct as some might want others to believe. For crying out loud, his own father ditched and never asked about him ... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0703270...

I mean how cold do you have to be not to wonder about how your own child is doing?

[DemBones DemBones]

112. Yes, it's odd how she's less important than the Kenyan step-grandmother,

whom he never met until he went to Kenya as an adult.

His mother is dead but her mother is still living and she and her husband, i.e., Barack's maternal grandparents, helped raise him. They had moved to Hawaii and that's why his mom was at the University of Hawaii so they were always part of his life. When he was in h.s. and his mom decided to move back to Indonesia, he stayed behind with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii to finish h.s.

Edit: Actually, she wrote her parents from Hawaii that she was marrying a Kenyan student so they weren't in Hawaii then but moved there later. His Kenyan grandfather wrote her parents a nasty letter about their white daughter sullying his family after getting a letter from his son about the marriage.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Obama campaign refuses to make the maternal grandmother available. Curious, isn't it? The only living relative who knew him as a child and teenager but nobody can talk to her and no reason was given for that.

[Critters2]

43. The OP says so. She's a frail "little" woman living in a hut.

It's condescending AND disingenuous. But "hut" definitely implies needing improvement.

[blonndee]

47. Well, the OP made a mistake, because it's DEFINITELY not a hut.

Just look at the video the other poster linked to.

On edit: Even if it WAS a hut, if she was happy and thriving there, who are any of us to say she NEEDS to have her "living conditions improved"? Not everyone gets off on or needs mass consumption or instant gratification. The western way of life is not for everyone and it's not always superior. The video I mentioned does briefly discuss the AIDS problem there, and I'm sure there are many other hardships; however, it grates me when others think that their way of life is the only way and that these "poor people" would be so much better off if they just lived like we do.

[Benhurst]

23. I think "hut" was a rhetorical flourish, a mistaken attempt to ennoble

her with romanticized poverty in an outdated vision of Africa.

[Cant trust em]

97. Poetic post. Benhurst, you are a wordsmith. nt

[Cant trust em]

98. Based on the video you provided, the living conditions are fine

Yes, the OP did oversell the point a bit. But something about your line of logic here is fishy to me. It smacks of the idea that people in the developing world are in dire need of our help. Maybe there's something in the video you provided that they're not telling us, but it looks like they're doing pretty well. Maybe they're not sharing in the lifestyle that you and I would consider "living well" but they're doing alright and seem happy.

[Nine]

53. Obama himself called it a "tiny hut" (nt)

[Critters2]

68. Wonder why he would portray his relatives as living in a hut.

Why, indeed.

[Nine]

93. my guess...

I think it's a variation on the old "I was born in a log cabin" line. I think he may have wanted to boost his populist credentials by showing he's seen poverty up close, among relatives even.

[Critters2]

94. I think so, too. I also think it's dishonest. nt

[stahbrett]

73. Here's what I think of when I think of a hut

Here is a picture of Obama's grandmother inside her "dwelling" - it seems much more substantial to me:


And here's what I found when I looked up the definition of "hut":

1. A crude or makeshift dwelling or shelter; a shack.
2. A temporary structure for sheltering troops.

I'm not saying her "dwelling" is a 2,000 square foot house, but I've seen tons of Discovery Channel shows that have featured various dwellings which I consider to be a hut, and the pictures of her dwelling seem to be quite a few notches bigger/better/substantial than those.

[Nine]

91. Tell Obama, not me. "Tiny hut" was his exact phrase.

[Critters2]

92. Why would he use such language?

Creating a fairy tale.

[stahbrett]

99. It looks like she upgraded since he visited her

Old dwelling:


And now (discussion and picture of her current dwelling at link below):
http://redmarilyn.greatestjournal.com/286355.html

[goclark]

69. I have so many friends that live in America

they have big houses and their parents refuse to move from the little town they love.

Nothings wrong with that ~ she looks like she is capable of handling herself.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

90. Maybe she likes her hut.

Maybe not everyone views the bloated consumer crap culture of America to be the apex of existence.

[cbayer]

16. Huts aren't so bad.

Simplicity can be bliss, believe me.

[CyberPieHole]

4. If this woman is "PROUD" and speaks highly of America, she must not be related to Michelle Obama.

Who hasn't been "proud" of America in all of her adult life.

[shraby]

6. It's not been most of my adult life

cause I'm much older than she is, but through the Reagan years and the Bush I and II years, I haven't been very proud of America myself.
Hmong people were promised help and safe haven here for helping during the Vietnam war and Reagan cut their help short to save money..many hadn't even had time to learn the language or how to live here.
He created the "notch" babies which for the whole of my father's retirement caused him to receive less money for social security than anyone born before or after 1921.
I could go on and on but most people here know what I'm talking about. I don't even have to enumerate the sins of the two Bushes.
This year IS exceptional.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

8. Thanks for pissing on what was otherwise a very nice thread.

Good lord. It's about a grandmother for goodness sake. Can't you keep your snotty comments to yourself for once?

[grantcart]

11. very very classy

so you have lowered yourself to the same level of those who dump on Chelsea - congratulations.

[DemBones DemBones]

29. I don't think she's even related to Barack Obama,

as I recall she is his step-grandmother, his grandfather's second wife, not the mother of his father, so not a blood relation.

[tammywammy]

49. She's the woman that essentially raised Obama Sr

[DemBones DemBones]

52. So his biological grandmother died young, I guess.

I did not read that the step-grandmother raised his father.

[tammywammy]

56. I don't know if she died young

She left the family while her children were still young. That's all I've read. Then he married Sarah Obama and she raised the children.

[Evergreen Emerald]

10. she has no running water? What the hell?

Get her some help Obama! What is he doing with his money? The two of them are loaded. For goodness sake, get her some water!

[cbayer]

19. I have no running water and couldn't be happier.

I have no electricity or public sewerage either.

And no cable TV or mail.

But I do have internet access, at least some of the time.

[DemBones DemBones]

24. Living on a boat, right? nt

[cbayer]

27. Right. I hope you are not mocking me. I'm pretty sensitive. nt.

[Benhurst]

31. What kind? I've always thought a houseboat would be neat.

A yacht is a bit beyond my fantasies and financial reach.

[DemBones DemBones]

33. Like in the Travis McGee books? nt

[Benhurst]

35. Exactly!

[DemBones DemBones]

45. The famous "Busted Flush" -- Mr.Bones is reading

one of the books tonight, for the 3rd or 4th time. You wait a few years, you forget a lot of the plot.

[cbayer]

34. I live on a sailboat - see Avatar.

And the boat cost a lot less than a house. And I am pretty much off the grid.
Houseboats are nice, but they are hard to move. A sailboat only needs enough wind to go.

[Benhurst]

36. You've given me food for thought. I own my house.

[cbayer]

41. Good for you.

It's a huge step, but IMHO, worth it.

You should see my backyard!!

[DemBones DemBones]

48. That did give me a clue! How long is she?

I have crewed on larger boats but we never had one.

[cbayer]

74. 43 foot.

Very heavy, bluewater boat.

If you see me on here and I am really irritable, it is probably because I am being tossed around like a rag doll.

But I really don't complain.

[DemBones DemBones]

32. Why would I mock you for living on a boat?

I like boats!

[cbayer]

37. Sorry, over-reacted.

I have been mocked before on DU because of my lifestyle.

I found it interesting that people on this thread think that all the things Americans take for granted are things that most people want.

Getting away from that has been really liberating for me.

[DemBones DemBones]

50. Weird, why would anyone object? It is your life, after all.

As long as you can do it, why not?

[Mabus]

59. All the power to you

Whatever makes you happy. I can understand what you mean. Things can make your life easier but it doesn't mean they make you happy. People give too much value to possessions and don't recognize how much better their life would be without them.

[uppityperson]

76. Everyone should live without power or running water or phone for a time.

Just to see how it is. Makes you really appreciate the magic of turning a knob and having hot water right there. Or flicking a switch and having light. I remember being at a place once, leaned over to blow out the lamp and had to laugh because it was electric. There is a lot a lot of people take for granted and it is good to live simply sometimes.

[Critters2]

46. Choosing to live without, another American privilege. nt

[cbayer]

78. You are so right and I hadn't thought of it that way.

Being able to choose this is not at all the same thing as having no choice. That is the difference between the privileged and the disenfranchised. And I am clearly privileged.

Great input.

[Critters2]

82. You hadn't thought of it that way?

Wow. Just wow.

[cbayer]

95. Again, you made me think.

It is an easy thought for me to have, just not one that I had when writing this post.

I am not a thoughtless person, just one who doesn't always think before she speaks.

[DemBones DemBones]

22. It would seem that she would appreciate it

and that he would do it.

[Quixote1818]

12. That brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for posting. K & R nt

[babylonsister]

13. Awww, so nice.

Here's another point to ponder: I've been to Indonesia and Thailand, and have seen pics of JFK hanging proudly in both of these places within the past 10 years. Some people really do make a difference to believers regardless of where they're from, and we as Americans are the richer for it.

[cbayer]

15. What a beautiful little story.

Thanks so much for taking a negative thread and turning it into something truly beautiful.

Thank youl

[Georgie_92]

26. How sweet, thanks for sharing.

[blonndee]

38. Neat video here:

Ironically, provided by someone to support the dubious claim that his grandmother's (or step-grandmother, whatever) "living conditions" need to be improved:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-22510146260178...

[David Zephyr]

39. The entire world is cheering for Obama now.

Thanks for your story.

As John Lennon said, Imagine.

[K Gardner]

55. Why do you people keep making me cry? And to all the lovely Hillary supporters who

dumped their "girls" special brand of poison and negativity all over this beautiful thread.. Effe You. And you wonder why people hate her, and you.

[Catherina]

62. It's ok. Thousands of people are seeing that behavior and letting it reflect

on HRC. They couldn't be doing better work for Obama if he paid them. Sarah Hussein Obama wouldn't stoop to their level and pretend she noticed so don't let lowlifes trash hurt you.

[sjdnb]

65. Sorry if facts, history, and logic don't make for

'feel good' ... but, the fact is, this whole Kenyan connection was for the most part severed until Obama started gaining success. His father ditched out and he was raised in Hawaii by his mother from Kansas.

Now, I know she might not be 'cool' enough for some, but it is sad that her role is continually diminished just to grab some 'heartwarming campaign fairy tales' for the road to the WH.

The Sr Obama returned to Kenya and

"Years later, Abercrombie and another grad school friend looked up their old pal during a trip through Africa.

At that point, the senior Obama was a bitter man, according to the congressman, feeling that he had been denied due opportunities to influence the running of his country. "He was drinking too much; his frustration was apparent," Abercrombie said.

To Abercrombie's surprise, Obama never asked about his ex-wife or his son."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0703270...

[Catherina]

75. And your fantasy has what to do with the price of tea in China?

I suppose this was photoshopped too?



Boy, another racist myth about Blacks- no sense of family. Keep looking, I enjoy watching Clinton supporters keep discrediting themselves.

[sjdnb]

79. Reading for you

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0703270...

It's easy to care after someone has gained fame and fortune.

[Catherina]

84. After fame and fortune?

Photoshopped right?

[sjdnb]

85. Guess you've not been poor enough to know how

relative fame and/or fortune are.

[Catherina]

110. Please don't assume

I've seen poverty so bad it would make you blanche. But what would you know?

Let me spell it out for you. That photo was taken before the fame and fortune so the following RW smear

"the fact is, this whole Kenyan connection was for the most part severed until Obama started gaining success"

is pretty lame.

Obama's family in Kenya is by no means poor either. But the feeble minds of people who never lived out of this country measure richness and poverty by our consumer standards. This thread is a reaction to the vile thread that if Obama cared about his grandmother so much, he'd move her out of that hut into a better place. WTF. Poverty has nothing to do with huts and running water. I feel sorry for people who believe it does because that's how they keep selling the myth over and over again that we're in foreign places "helping" people "improve" their standard of living.

[Hutzpa]

64. For those that missed your intention

I'm curious, whats your agenda in posting this thread.....I'm sensing or picking
on sarcasm mix within your metaphorical post.

[kentuck]

71. See post #63

for clarification.

[Hutzpa]

96. Ok! thanks for explaining, much appreciated n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

67. That's Awesome, Ain't It?

Very nicely told, Kentuck.

[Critters2]

70. My ancestors were Scottish and German peasant farmers.

They lived in huts, too.

Awesome, ain't it?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

72. What Are You Fucking Talking About?

[Critters2]

81. People who live in huts are awesome.

Just like the OP said.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

88. If That's What You Got Out Of The OP, Then I Truly Feel For You.

Of all the ways I've seen people miss the point lately, you take the cake.

[NorthernSpy]

103. Just can't let them have anything, can you?

And risk diminishing your Scottish peasant-farming ancestors and your German peasant-farming ancestors? No way!

[yellerpup]

87. Very poetic.

Lovely mental picture.

[here_is_to_hope]

89. Sweet post...love ya! n/t

[galaxy21]

100. Maybe he offered to help but she said no

Not everyone wants to sponge off their kids and grankids.

[Hav]

101. .

Thanks, that was very nice and beautiful.

And I also feel sorry for those who have to take a dump on the rare positive threads here.

[OzarkDem]

104. What about the grandmother who put him through private school and college?

His maternal grandmother who raised him, took care of him and put him through college.

[Critters2]

106. Does she live in a hut?

Or is she useful in any other propaganda-esque way?

[SammyWinstonJack]

111. ...

[newfie4]

105. I'm so sick about hearing about his african grandmother already

[NOLALady]

108. Then maybe you should not have clicked on this post.

Your health is important.

[KoKo]

107. A Big K&R, ! I'm old enough to remember.......

I'm old enough to remember those Irish/American families who hung pictures of John Fitzgerald Kennedy on their walls because they were so PROUD...that FINALLY...One of THEM...could be PRESIDENT...of the "New Country."

[NOLALady]

109. Lovely Post!